Why is English Literature?: Language and Letters for the Twenty-First Century [Hardcover]

Why is English synonymous with literature in the United States? Bonfiglio contextualizes the rising hegemony of English within the anti-labor, anti-immigration, xenophobic, mercantile, militarist, and technocratic ideologies that arose in the US in the first half of twentieth century.Introduction 1. English and the Languages 2. From ars liber to Modern Literatures 3. The American Century Conclusion: Language Needs New Language

Why is English Literature? opens a fresh perspective on current discussions of globalization and transnationalism that will enliven literary studies in English and American literature departments. - John Michael, University of Rochester, USA